Heavy rainfall, flooding distress over 1mn in China (PHOTOS)

Street lamps are seen among floodwaters next to partially submerged buildings by an over flowing river at the ancient town as heavy rainfall hits Fenghuang county, Hunan province July 15, 2014 (Reuters / China Daily)

Hundreds of thousands have been forced to evacuate with over 1 million people in total affected in China as heavy rainstorms batter Hunan and Guizhou provinces, with reports of several deaths and mass destruction.

Some 720,000 people from
240 townships in Hunan are now affected, the provincial flood
control headquarters said on Tuesday, Xinhua reports. At least
460 homes have been destroyed and 149,400 residents have been
relocated.

The ancient town of Fenghang was flooded with more than 120,000
locals and tourists evacuated since Monday night. Multiple
temporary settlements have been set up to cater for the displaced
people. Power supply in the region has also been cut off,
prompting the local hydrographical bureau to issue a red alert,
at 10:10 am local time.

By noon Tuesday, Tuojiang River water levels rose 1.1 meters
above the usual 2.5 meters. In addition three big reservoirs
nearby also reported warnings with cracks, landslides have
blocked several highways and caused delays on train routes. Over
100 soldiers have been dispatched for repair work.

The neighboring Guizhou Province has also been hit with
torrential rain, with 14 counties and districts flooded.

Nearly half a million people in Guizhou are now affected. Over
21,000 of them being evacuated. At least five people died in a
landslide in Zhijin County.